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Despite the fact that the country is loyal to seasonal immigrant workers, as well as to highly qualified foreign specialists, the policy of the state is aimed at the development of the internal labor market. Like in many EU countries, employers give priority to the local population, then come citizens of other EU states, and only after that - residents outside the EU.
Migration legislation of Norway is focused on attracting highly qualified personnel - so some individual specialists do not even need permission to work to obtain a visa.
Oil production. The country sends about 1.85 million barrels of oil for export per day - the highest indicator in the world. Therefore, the country constantly requires specialists in this industry, as well as workers for mining and processing plants.
Fishing. The country's annual income from the export of seafood is about € 7.4 billion. Therefore, the conditions for doing business in this area are super attractive: benefits for entrepreneurs and companies, grants for research, which are aimed at raising valuable fish. There are always a lot of vacancies in this area.
Agriculture. Dairy products, greenhouse vegetables and flowers - all this is produced in large volumes, despite the rough climate.
Social work. This direction has been developing especially rapidly lately. Therefore, having the appropriate education or experience, as well as being ready to learn Norwegian and take courses directly in the country, you can count on employment.
Language. The very limited number of vacancies does not imply knowledge of at least basic English - one way or another, you will have to communicate with colleagues and employers. In most cases, employers require average proficiency in English for unskilled specialists and confident for those who claim a higher position. Coming to the country, immediately start learning Norwegian - this will speed up adaptation and increase the chances of getting promoted in the service or finding a more advantageous place.
Confirmation of qualifications. The list of regulated professions for which you need to confirm a diploma and / or knowledge can be found here. It should be noted that the number is impressive - now there are about 180 professions on the list. Translation and apostil of educational documents are required (if you are applying for a highly qualified position or work with a narrow technical position).
Physical requirements. They refer to those, who plan to get a job as a worker on oil platforms, fish factories, forestry, mining industry, agriculture. In almost all cases, it is necessary to have good health (you’ll have to go through a medical examination and submit a certificate), no criminal history, chronic diseases, no addiction to alcohol and drugs. Additional requirements vary depending on location. For example, on an oil platform, you need to be ready for a constant storm and strong wind, at a fish factory - for a strong smell of fish.
The most popular job-hunting sites:
Sometimes it is faster and more efficient to write directly to the employer - contacts of Norwegian companies can be found on the corporate portals GULE SIDER and BRREG.
To find a suitable candidate, employers often turn to recruiting agencies. The largest recruiting companies in Norway are Adecco, Orion and Capus. Please note that this option is not free: both the employer (for the selection of suitable candidates) and the job seeker (for reliable information about current vacancies) pay specialists. The size of the remuneration is € 100-500.
Job advertisements can be found in the following Norwegian publications:
For scientists and scientific workers in Norway, there is an opportunity to find a job, having received a grant for scientific research activities from the Norwegian Research Council RCN. On the official site you will find current projects that are offered by research institutions in the country.
For students and young specialists there is an opportunity to go through a work experience program in one of the Norwegian companies. Such a practice is organized by youth centers, which offer foreigners who wish to work in the field of agriculture, trade, tourism, restaurant and hotel business. The practice usually lasts 2-24 months (depending on the program), the applicant must be between 19 and 30 years old. In addition, those who wish to complete the work experience program must pay its cost, submit a certificate stating that they have no health problems, and speak Norwegian.
There are also other work experience programs funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development. The programs are based on intergovernmental agreements, and the organization is engaged in the union of entrepreneurs of the state-participant. The program concerns one of the priority areas of activity in Norway: logistics, shipbuilding and mechanical engineering, chemical, fish processing, oil and gas, food industry, agriculture, tourism, design.
You can search for work experience programs in Norwegian companies on the Graduateland website, and on the Globalplacement website you can find useful information about writing motivation letters, choosing a company for an internship, and preparing a resume.
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Despite the fact that Norway is not included in the number of EU countries, the basic requirements for the employment of foreigners coincide with the requirements in other European states. First of all, the employer will have to prove that there are no worthy candidates among the Norwegians and Europeans. For this purpose, information about vacancies is transferred to the employment service, published on the state portal and in other media. In addition, the company must provide the expat with working conditions no worse than for local specialists.
In general, the employment procedure is as follows:
A work permit in Norway is issued for the period from one to three years, after which, in case of successful passing of the exam in the Norwegian language, you can apply for permanent residence. Consideration of the application takes about four to six weeks, in case of a positive answer you will be given a temporary residence permit (you will receive a full one only after registering on the spot at the police station).
Depending on the type of employment, qualifications of the worker and the time spent in the country, the expats in Norway are divided into two groups: qualified specialists "for a long time period" and seasonal employees for three to six months. The requirements for obtaining a work permit differ in these two cases.
If you want to get permanent residence, the term of work of a seasonal employee is not taken into account.
Regardless of the category of the expat, in order to obtain a permit, you must provide health insurance, as well as a confirmation that you will have accommodation upon arrival. The process of submitting documents is well described on the website of the Norwegian Department of Immigration UDI. After spending a little time on studying, you can independently fill in the necessary forms and submit documents.
All of these categories of persons can enter the country without a work permit for a period of up to 90 days.
If you already have a valid Schengen visa, your work permit is your pass to Norway. If you do not have a visa, you will have to submit documents to the nearest consulate or a Norwegian visa center to obtain a single entry type D visa. The consular fee is not charged for it, and you will only need to submit an application form and a copy of a letter about issuing a work permit. The process will take from three to five days.
You need to go to the local tax office (Skatteetaten), where the Foreign Workers Service Center (SUA) is located within nine days upon arriving in the country. You need to have a work contract and an agreement for renting an apartment with you. You will be given a residence permit within a week: if you have a work contract- for three years, in case you don’t have one (for example, if the case concerns a family member) - for one year (after that period it can be extended).
The residence permit is a plastic card with photos, biometric data and it allows you to move freely around the Schengen area.
You also receive a Norwegian taxpayer ID - it is an 11-digit number, which is necessary when signing any documents: for an apartment, for opening a bank account, for buying a SIM card, etc.
It is better to book the time of your visit to the tax office here.
As we have already noted, Norway mostly needs specialists with high qualifications. These include:
Also required:
This sector requires:
Requirements for candidates are not particularly high: age is from 18 to 55 years, gender is not fundamental, knowledge of English or Norwegian is maximum at a basic level (sometimes it is not needed). There are no requirements for education or experience. But there are two nuances: hard physical labor and the constant strong smell of fish.
The wages are not the highest: € 15-18 per hour, overtime hours are at the rate of € 20-25. One day off, it is Sunday, a working day lasts eight hours.
About 16 thousand employees are invited to oil platforms in Norway every year. Vacancies in such places, not related to highly qualified work, are not particularly popular among locals due to difficult conditions. Those, who wish, can try themselves as:
If we are talking about specialties that require certain knowledge, then preference is given to specialists who have experience in working with Western technology. If you have a diploma from a non-European university, the document will have to be confirmed and you should pass a profile exam. Anyone who has no experience of working in an international group has to pass a special training if you are accepted.
Please note that all candidates have requirements for age and health.
In addition, you must have good endurance, resistance to constant storms, low temperatures, high humidity and wind.
On oil platforms there is a shift method of work: the shift lasts about 20-180 days, depending on the conditions of the contract. The work schedule varies: technical staff on average rest every four hours, support staff work eight hours without breaks. The vacation lasts about 15–45 days after the end of the shift.
It is not a job with a high salary in Norway - the monthly "net" salary is € 1,300-1,700. In many cases, the employer provides accommodation. There are two main options.
This category of workers collect the harvest, help with the household. The contract is usually for 3-12 months, accommodation and meals are provided. The applicant should know at least English.
In Norway, there is no concept of a "minimum wage" - the size of basic income is negotiated in each case individually. Although in some industries (in construction, at factories), minimum rates have been set, which are also regulated only locally. The average salary in the country is about €4,750 (before taxes are deducted). The level of poverty is considered to be income of up to €1,900.
For seasonal workers, rates start at € 11 per hour. With full employment, the minimum wage will be about €1,800, taking into account the fact that the employer covers meals and accommodation in part or in full.
Norwegians work about 7,5 hours a day, but there are also six-hour schedules. It should be noted that the Norwegians are not fond of dedicating all the time to work and staying in offices till late. Employers also do not seek to detain their employees, since compliance with labor laws in the country is very strict: summer vacations are required, and overtime hours are paid at double or even triple rates.
At the same time, there is no big gap in salaries in Norway. Therefore, do not be surprised if you, having a high-status higher education and working on large promising projects, will receive not much more than a subway train driver.
The size of tax deductions in Norway cannot be called very low, be prepared to pay about half of your salary.
Compulsory payments:
As you can see, finding a job in Norway is not an easy, but achievable task. If you have a demand in the country profession, feel free to take action. In three years it is possible to get permanent residence, and to take along your family when moving. If you are not afraid of hard physical labor, you do not have problems with your health and want to change your accommodation, get a new experience, you can count on seasonal work with very good wages.
Photos: pixabay.com
